1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a storage medium for searching for desired content having a given attribute.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a system which stores a large amount of electronic content (e.g. documents, images, etc.) in a storage device and allows reuse of such content has been proposed. In such a system, a search function for searching for content in the storage device is essential.
One way to realize such a function of searching for content is to classify contents using attribute values associated with the contents. In this case, the system lists the attribute values in the same order as the attributes by which the contents are classified. The list of the attribute values is displayed in a display device of an information processing apparatus in the system for a user to see. The user selects an attribute value from the list to instruct the system to refine search on the contents. The user can reach the desired content by repeating this operation for several attributes. For example, in the case where a user is looking for a leasehold property, the user selects various attribute values such as rent, age, nearest station, room arrangement, and accommodation of a wooden floor, self-locking door, and cable television a number of times. The search process is conducted so that the user can reach the desired property.
In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-187739 discusses a method of refining a search by providing a user with questions and a choice of answers in a particular order to conduct search refinement effectively. The search result is refined based on the answer selected by the user from the choice of answers.
However, in the search systems described above, the number of attribute values that are candidates in one selection and the efficiency of the refinement will differ if the order of attributes shown to the user differs. In addition, depending on the order of attributes shown to a user, the number of attribute values to be chosen becomes too large and the selection takes time. The number of times of search refinement to reach the desired content can also increase due to low efficiency of the refinement.